Next time you're struggling to track down a pair of sneakers in your size, think back to this story to put things in perspective.
A seven-foot-tall homeless man known for roaming the streets of Indianapolis, Ind., will be able to get around a little more comfortably from now on thanks to a kind-hearted police officer who noticed the man's shoes were in bad shape
IndyStar says that not much is known about the man, other than that he wears a size 17 in sneakers, which is exactly why the unnamed officer had so much trouble finding a pair that would fit. The officer searched far and wide, even enlisting the help of others in the search. Unfortunately, most stores simply do not carry shoes that large.
"Finding big shoes, comfortable shoes, athletic shoes that can be worn every day for these men, it's tough," Scott Tarter, co-founder of the Dropping Dimes Foundation said.
But the officer was determined, and put in a few calls to the Indiana Pacers community relations department to see if they had anything on hand. As it turns out, former Pacers center Roy Hibbert is also a size 17 and had left a few pairs of shoes behind after his departure to the Lakers, one of which now belongs to the homeless man.
The officer wishes not to be named and has declined to speak to the media. "They did it because it was the right thing to do," Deputy Chief Gary Woodruff said. "They didn't do it for notoriety or publicity or public consumption."